The Dark Side Of The Moon A3/B3 (Complete)

This very early A3/B3 pressing is in near immaculate condition.  I have never before heard such an early pressing play with such astounding quality.  There is no spindle wear so is perhaps unplayed.  It comes complete with a wonderful dark 'midnight blue' gatefold and immaculate posters and stickers also.

SHVL 804 // A-3 / B-3 // ART 2 2 & GDM 1

The audio on S1 is Near Mint (Mint for the majority)

The audio on S2 is Mint- (Mint for the majority)

The gatefold is Ex++

The labels are Mint

The inner sleeve is Ex

The poster and stickers are Mint-

Visual grading

This vinyl has an incredible glossy sheen and was very possibly unplayed prior to my play testing.  There is not one spindle trace to be seen on the labels, they really are super clean.  This vinyl is visually stunning to say the least and I can only see a handful of very faint wispy sleeve removal hairlines on each side.  A couple of minor ones are slightly more visible on S1 but they have no affect on the stunning audio as detailed below.  You won't find many better visual or audible A3/B3 pressings than this one!

Play grading  

The intro on any side often plays with some interference so I am pleased to report 'Speak To Me' only has minimal static on the opening few grooves and it is not to the detriment of the audio at all.  The clarity is very impressive and the section leading into 'Breathe' is of a superb standard.  This track then plays with superlative quality and no interference whatsoever.  'On The Run' also plays with Mint- audio, the depth and richness of the music is as new, there is no other way to describe it and the 'running man' section at the end is stunning.  I only heard one mega faint dust tick.  'Time' is another incredible highlight.  From start to finish the clarity is of the highest calibre and I only detected one brief moment of background static and a couple of light 'ticks' towards the end.  Aside from that the audio plays with perfect precision and no distortion, the quality is astounding.  The quiet intro on 'The Great Gig In The Sky' is of a very high standard with only the faintest of 'background'.  Once the 'vocal' begins the power is all encompassing and is so impressive.  Wow!  Rarely have I heard this iconic track play so clearly and with such strength.  The extended quiet end section plays beautifully with no intrusive interference and I cannot convey enough the astonishing quality on offer here.  The passage leading into the fade out and including the fade out sent shivers down my spine!  There is no distortion and no 'background' at all.  In a word, stunning, and to think this a very early A3/B3 pressing.

'Money' on S2 again plays to a standard that would not be out of place on a recently pressed high quality vinyl.  The mid section guitar solo is awesome in its power and has no distortion.  This is as close to Mint audio that you will find on an A3/B3 pressing.  The fade out also plays 100% perfectly.  'Us And Them' has a little static on the intro but really is so much in the background as to be totally non-intrusive.  It soon dissipates and is replaced with 'high end' sound once more.  I'm running out of superlatives for this album!  The remainder plays to a level that is just so high, there are no clicks or pops, the depth is just stunning.  I often mention clarity but that is how any album should be judged by and the clarity here is second to none.  For fear of repeating myself the final trio of songs play with same quality.  A couple of dust ticks on the 'Brain Damage' intro but apart from that it is Mint audio all the way.  'Eclipse' ends this incredible album with nigh on perfect audio also.  What is rare is that it displays none of the distortion that is so often prevalent on the early pressings.

In summary this is a final upgrade, archive copy by anyone's standards.  I have listened to many 'Dark Side' early pressings and this is without doubt the cleanest and 'high end' versions I have ever heard.  I cannot stress enough just how immaculate the audio is and so as to provide a comprehensive grading I have listened to every second of this album and played many sections more than the once.  The fact that it comes with a fantastic gatefold and super clean posters and stickers completes the overall 'package' perfectly.

The Gatefold

This G&L gatefold is of the dark 'midnight blue' variety and has been preserved beautifully with an minimum amount of shelf wear.  The edges and spine are in superb condition with no rubbing and even the corners have barely any wear.  Only the bottom right corner has a tiny crease and I mean tiny!  The opening edge has no handling wear and the opposite edge (front cover) has just the one very small 'ding' on it.  So often heavily marked/scratched this gatefold throughout is so clean and vibrant.  The front has only a few very minor faint creases near the spine and the back has the same with a little creasing near the opening edge also.  It sounds like I am mentioning a lot of negatives but I am just being thorough in my grading and believe me when I say this really is a superb looking gatefold, you won't find many better of this age.  The inside is stunning with just a little fading near the bottom of the right hand edge.  The round sticker on the front is in perfect condition.

Inner sleeve

The plain white die-cut inner sleeve is in excellent shape with only some creasing and no splits or tears.  It has the patent number and Made in England on one side.

The labels

They are both in perfect condition with no spindle wear and no writing/marking.

The posters & stickers

Both posters are in superb order with no splits or tears and there is no staining or marking either.  The 'Crack Back Fasprint' stickers are also in fantastic shape with no creasing, marking etc.

Play tested on my Pro-Ject Essential III Turntable / B&W 684 Speakers

This record has been professionally cleaned on a Pro-Ject VC-S machine

SHVL 804 // A-3 / B-3 // ART 2 2 & GDM 1

I grade according to "Record Collector" guidelines.

Any questions please feel free to ask

Please pay within 4 days of auction end

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Postage & Packaging

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